[Frequency of HPV infection of the uterine cervix among perimenopausal women in Wielkopolska Region].

Objectives: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the main causes of cervical neoplasia. There is now consistent evidence that Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has a causal role in the etiology of cervical cancer and that sexual habits and reproductive/hormonal factors are associated with the risk of invasive cervical cancer. In our investigation we estimated the frequency of HPV infection in uterine cervix in women gathered in perimenopausal and postmenopausal groups.

Materials And Methods: We screened 90 women in western Poland to obtain cytological smears, and tested all smears for 33 types of HPV with a polymerase chain reaction-based system. All women were classified according to age into three groups.

Results: HPV infections peaked in the group of 45 to 49 year old (48.5% using universal starters) and decreased in 56 year or olders (26.1% using universal starters) with predominantly non-cancer-associated types of HPV and uncharacterized HPV types.

Conclusions: We confirm the decline of HPV infection with age. But note increased prevalence after menopause, which could be related to a second peak of HSILs, an observation that warrants further investigation. At least 80% of HPVs involved in cervical carcinogenesis in this population have been characterized. Polyvalent vaccines including the main cancer-associated HPV types may be able to prevent most cases of cervical disease in this region.